April 1, 2011 SOUTHERN EDITION (800) 657-4665 www.TheLandOnline.com theland@TheLandOnline.com P.O. Box 3169, Mankato, MN 56002 © 2011
1985-86 M Kim Streg innesota FFA offic e e and Cra ig Jorgen r team, left to right: son surro und Mike David Olson, Ann e Arends, th President: e Star FarmHenkels, Scott His lop, Dean A lot of time has passed since Dean er from W Harder, Dean Harder illmar. Harder, Anne Henkels, Kim Strege, Dean Harder joined the Mountain Lake High School the Mountain Lake-ButterfieldFFA chapter to open another avenue of livestock shows. Craig Jorgenson, David L. Olson Odin FFA Chapter, and Harder could not say enough “Our family was big into showing livestock, had good about his high school adviser. and Scott Hislop were elected to been showing in 4-H, and I wanted a way to get into lead Minnesota’s Future Farmers of “It’s incredible what he has done there,” Harder said. more livestock shows. I got into FFA to show cattle and sheep. FFA presented that opportunity,” “His department is the class to take in high school.” America — 25 years to be exact. Harder said from his home office in Zionsville, Ind. Harder’s rise through FFA leadership started Livestock shows may have lured Harder into with Appel encouraging Harder to try new things. FFA played a big part in these FFA, but he soon learned he wanted to do so much One such example as a high school junior, Harder more in the organization. A lot of that is credited to was encouraged to participate in the district speakyoung leaders’ lives back then and ing contest. “I placed dead last,” he said. “That was the organization at the local level. still today. humbling, but Tom took that as a way to encourage “I got in on two different historic phases of our me. He (Appel) would learn and he had a great disFFA chapter,” he said. As a freshman, he was under cernment of peoples’ skills.” the tutelage of Jim Crawford, legendary FFA In this issue, you will find the stoHe ran for and became district treasurer. Then, as a adviser at Mountain Lake. ries of Harder, Henkels and Strege. freshman at the University of Minnesota, Harder The following year Tom Appel came to the high chose to run for a state office. “I don’t know what made The stories on Jorgenson, Olson and school, “and he helped us understand that you can do me run for state office,” he said. “It could have been anything in FFA. There was so much more than just Tom Pierson who encouraged me to run; maybe it was Hislop will be found in the April 15 livestock shows. Mary Buschette who encouraged me along the way.” issue of The Land. “I am indebted to both of them (Crawford and Appel),” Harder said. Appel is still the FFA adviser for See HARDER, pg. 15A
By KEVIN SCHULZ The Land Editor